Political Scene: Get Ready for Midterm Elections

“Most Republicans … what they want to do is avoid nominating candidates who will say something stupid in the general election,” Ryan Lizza says on this week’s Political Scene podcast. “This whole establishment-versus-Tea-Party thing, it’s true only to a certain extent. What really they’re looking for is the smoothest candidate.” On Tuesday, North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. He will face Democratic Senator Kay Hagan in the fall. Lizza joins Jeffrey Toobin and host Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the North Carolina primary and what to expect in coming months as Republicans and Democrats get ready for midterm elections.

The G.O.P. must gain six seats in November to have a majority in the Senate. “Elections are not necessarily about capturing the swing voters,” Toobin says. “They are about motivating your base.” The best way to do that, however, remains to be seen. “The issue environment has been very fluid,” Toobin continues. “I don’t think we know in early May what the voting issues are going to be in October and November.”

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